¶ Getting started with Collections
¶ Best Practices
Using collections is a great way to get started with modding a new game. You can browse collections both on Vortex and on Nexus Mods, and if it is your first time using collections it is highly recommended to give the collection page you are interested in a quick read.
- You can now browse collections inside Vortex directly under Vortex -> Browse Nexus Mods -> Collections section. You'll be able to add the collection with one click, or just view the page. It is highly recommended to view the collection page at least once to read more about the collection and check installation instructions and requirements if there are any.
- Alternatively you can start to browse collections by following the link within Vortex, which will take you to the collections section of Nexus automatically.
- Lastly, of course, you can browse through Nexus Mods and when you pick the collection of your choosing, click "Add Collection"
- Make use of your Vortex profiles. It is possible to keep your current modded setup in one profile, and install a collection to the other. Though it is usually recommended to start from scratch if you are going for an all-in-one collection that is heavy in size just to limit external factors as much as possible.
- If you have a large, working modlist for your game, be aware that installing a collection could cause complications for your current setup. If this is the case, try not to add another all-in-one collection on top of your setup, instead go for a smaller thematic collections that could add few things on top of your current setup, like some small collections that only adds 10 statues or houses etc.
- Collections will vary in size, so keep in mind that you could download an all-inclusive collection, or a number of smaller collections to improve your experience, depending on the game.
- Pay attention to the collection descriptions.
¶ Downloading/Installing your first collection
¶ Downloading
Downloading a collection is usually straightforward, unless curator added some extra steps so it is always a good idea to check the collection pages first. Here, we'll explain how it usually works without any extra steps.
We also have videos for downloading/installing collections as a Free User and as a Premium User on YouTube.
- Prior to starting, open Vortex and make sure it is managing the right game (i.e. Skyrim SE for a Skyrim SE collection).
- Navigate to Collections section of Nexus Mods
- Choose a game and find the collection you want.
- Select "Add Collection"
¶ Installing as a Free User
After you click "Add Collection", you may be prompted a notification about Vortex if you have not already clicked "Don't show again" previously on this pop up. Make sure you have Vortex downloaded, and press continue when ready.
Depending on the collection you are installing, you may see some additional instructions. Carefully read these if there are any. Choose a profile to install the collection from below. Note that it is usually a better idea to install all in one collections on new or empty profiles. Collection curators can also recommend a new profile and make this option the default for their users.
You can toggle the "Install mods during collection downloads" button on or off. It is usually a good idea to keep it turned on so that the collection gets installed as quickly as possible. You can disable it if you have some concerns about your download speed and connection interrupting the installations. This way, no installation will occur until everything is downloaded.
- After confirming, the collection will begin downloading with a modal appearing for each mod.
- Skipping will not completely ignore the current mod. It will make Vortex visit it later instead. It is not recommended to skip and ignore mods from collections if you can avoid it since collections usually work the best when all the required mods are installed properly. Choosing "Download" will open the normal mod page on the website.
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Once you go through the usual download process, a new modal will open for the next mod on Vortex and you repeat the steps until installation is complete.
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Depending on the mod, at certain stages Vortex may direct you to off-site requirements for which instructions for installation may be provided by the curator.
¶ Installing as a Premium User
Installing as a Premium User is the same as a Free User but faster and with much fewer steps.
After you click "Add Collection", you may be prompted a notification about Vortex if you have not already clicked "Don't show again" previously on this pop up. Make sure you have Vortex downloaded, and press continue when ready.
Depending on the collection you are installing, you may see some additional instructions. Carefully read these if there are any. Choose a profile to install the collection from below. Note that it is usually a better idea to install all in one collections on new or empty profiles. Collection curators can also recommend a new profile and make this option the default for their users.
You can toggle the "Install mods during collection downloads" button on or off. It is usually a good idea to keep it turned on so that the collection gets installed as quickly as possible. You can disable it if you have some concerns about your download speed and connection interrupting the installations. This way, no installation will occur until everything is downloaded.
- Once confirmed, the collection will download all the mods from the website and install them. You will not need to manually do anything else unless curator has put some instructions or some mods with unselected fomod options.
¶ Pause/Cancel
You can pause or cancel a collection download from the bottom right of the collection page. Pausing will only stop things for the moment until you continue. Cancelling will remove the collection entirely including everything so far downloaded.
Do not pause or cancel an ongoing collection installation if you can avoid it. Like all software installations, interrupting it midway may cause unwanted problems.
¶ Updating an added collection
There are 2 ways to update a collection. I recommend the safe way for big updates that are not save compatible, second for very minor updates that are save compatible.
¶ Safe Way
On vortex, go to profiles tab. Create a new profile, enable it. Now add the updated collection version from the collection page. It will install all the mods from it, without redownloading stuff you already own. Your save games may or may not be compatible depending on the update you installed. Always check the changelog of the updates to learn more about save game compatibility.
¶ Quick Way
Open Vortex, go to the collections tab, hover your mouse over the collection that has an update and click on Update. You'll be shown an update changelog. Read it carefully and unless stated otherwise, if Vortex asks you to delete old files, say yes to all.
¶ Removing a collection
Removing a collection does not always mean uninstalling it properly and cleanly. So, in this section we'll be giving both some instructions to remove the game, the collection and Vortex completely and cleanly AND also instructions to simply remove a collection from Vortex the quick way, that may not always clean all the files.
¶ Quick Way
- Go to Vortex -> Collections section.
- Hover your mouse over the collection you want to remove.
- Click "Remove". Once you click, you'll be prompted if you want to remove mods and delete archives as well."Remove mods" allows you to un-install the mods that were part of that Collection."Delete Archive" removes the mod downloads from Vortex.
¶ Safe Way
¶ How To Uninstall Everything On Vortex
- Delete the main game. Find your game folder and delete everything. No hard feelings, make Steam download everything again.
- Go to your userdata located in appdata (%appdata% in windows search will bring you there) and delete these folders :
Vortex (roaming folder)
INSERT YOUR GAMES NAME HERE (local folder)
IMPORTANT NOTE : This will delete all your user data from Vortex, including all the mods you downloaded.
Go to 'Documents\My Games' and delete Skyrim Special Edition there.
It is not always the best idea to uninstall mods. If you do not want a mod anymore, you can also disable it instead. If you're having issues don't just reinstall, try to fix that issue first, it might come back even when reinstalling.